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en-usEngadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronicsCopyright 2018 AOL Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/16/green-hot-galaxies-reveal-clues-to-the-ancient-universe/https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/16/green-hot-galaxies-reveal-clues-to-the-ancient-universe/https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/16/green-hot-galaxies-reveal-clues-to-the-ancient-universe/#comments

Galaxies that emit a green glow make bitchin' screen-savers, but they're exceedingly rare in the actual universe. However, UCLA astronomers recently discovered that most, if not all early galaxies had a green hue due to their intense heat and special chemistry. "The discovery that young galaxies are so unexpectedly bright [with green light] ... will dramatically change and improve the way that we study galaxy formation throughout the history of the universe," said UCLA physics Professor Matthew Malkan in a statement.

The observable universe was already incomprehensibly big, but it now looks to be even bigger. Astronomers have determined that are likely about 10 times more galaxies than previously thought, or between 1 trillion to 2 trillion. We just don't have the technology (or physical proximity) to detect them all, according to the researchers. They reached the conclusion after converting Hubble Deep Field images into 3D to study the number of galaxies at a given point in the universe's history, and using mathematical models to infer the possibility of galaxies that we haven't spotted. Simply speaking, the volume of galaxies seen over time doesn't make sense unless there are many we aren't aware of.

Not to bum you out, but many scientists believe that the universe will eventually die -- stars and even black holes will release energy until there's virtually nothing left. And unfortunately, there's now stronger evidence that this inexorable decline is real. Scientists using radio telescopes have measured the energy output of 200,000 galaxies with greater precision than ever, and they've determined that these star havens are only producing half as much energy as they were 2 billion years ago. In short, the universe is fading out. This isn't surprising (entropy is inescapable in our understanding of physics), but it does downplay theories that the universe might maintain or even regain energy.

Black holes are, by definition, impossible to see by conventional methods and are often further obscured by thick blankets of dust or gas. But that's not an issue for NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). It can peek through the obscuring layers and monitor the black holes via the high-energy X-rays that they emit. And, after a recent survey that spotted five previously unknown supermassive black holes in the centers of various galaxies, NASA researchers now think there could be millions of of them dotting the Universe like the holes of an intergalactic colander.

I admit that I considered naming this piece, "How Star Wars Galaxies did everything right and World of Warcraft did everything wrong" because I am obviously biased. But I really was completely surprised at how much SWG came up during the panel. Many former Galaxies players will tell you that there was a lot about that game that was pure crap, but when you talk about the social implementations of SWG, there just aren't many games that compare.
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activisionalex-albechtblizzardblizzard-entertainmentclassic-mmoconconventioncraftingcultureeconomyendgameeventevent-coverageeventsevents (massively's coverage)events (real-world)expofantasyfeaturedgalaxiesjenesee-greylarry-everettmassively-event-coveragemeg-cambellmmo industrymmorpgpatrick-hulhernpaxpax-2015pax-southpax-south-2015penny-arcade-exposandboxsci-fisoesony-online-entertainmentstar wars galaxiesstar-warsstar-wars-galaxiesswgswgovirtual worldswarcraftworld of warcraftworld-of-warcraftwowMon, 26 Jan 2015 11:00:00 -0500319|21134518https://www.engadget.com/2014/12/15/stampede-supercomputer-star-formation/https://www.engadget.com/2014/12/15/stampede-supercomputer-star-formation/https://www.engadget.com/2014/12/15/stampede-supercomputer-star-formation/#comments

Scientists may finally have an answer to the question of why fewer stars than expected form out of interstellar material. So far, the best simulations have predicted that nearly all the matter in vast clouds of interstellar gases would eventually cool and become stars. However, only a small percentage actually does, so an international team led by CalTech has tried to create a more accurate model. They turned to a machine tailor-made for such simulations: the NSF-funded Stampede supercomputer. It turns out that star formation isn't just a local phenomenon; it's also affected by supernova explosions, radiation, stellar gases and even starlight.

It's kinda silly, but I feel like giving up on ArcheAge. It's silly because the game launched in mid-September and we're currently in November. The fantasy sandpark does have more than it's share of problems, but logically I know that it's way, way too early to start piling dirt on its imaginary corpse.

That said, there are so many MMOs clamoring for my attention nowadays that the idea of being patient with one of them is almost laughable. I'm not alone here, either, as many gamers I know look for the first available reason to leave an MMO and cross it off their to-do list, simply because they're wired to complete tasks and the ginormous glut of games long ago passed the point of overwhelming.
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aaarcheagearcheage-rantclassic-mmocolumnculturefantasyfeaturedgalaxiesgame mechanicsgamehoppersimpatientjake-songkids-these-dayskorealost continentlost-continentmmo industryopinionpatiencepvepvprantsandboxsci-fisoesony-online-entertainmentstar-warsstar-wars-galaxiesswgswgotriontrion-worldswhy-so-impatient-with-archeagexlgamesSun, 30 Nov 2014 12:00:00 -0500319|20994929https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/16/the-daily-grind-should-eve-online-add-manual-flight-controls/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/16/the-daily-grind-should-eve-online-add-manual-flight-controls/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/16/the-daily-grind-should-eve-online-add-manual-flight-controls/#comments

On Friday, developer CCP Games stunned us with the news that EVE Online will be adding manual flight controls in December's Rhea update. Gamers have been asking for twitch controls since EVE launched in 2003, but the idea has always been shot down as infeasible because it would put the server under extremely heavy load. CCP mentioned its interest in twitch controls during Fanfest 2013, and I speculated on a possible server-friendly implementation in an EVE Evolved article shortly after, but the fact that the feature is about to be released still comes as a huge surprise.

The new controls will be optional and quite limited. Ships will be able to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise and pitch their ships up vertically up and down, but we won't be able to do loops or rolls like in a dogfighting game. Developers also want to add joystick support soon, but so far there are no plans to add manually targeted ship weapons. Many players are excited for the new controls, and some of them are already asking for further features like the ability to lock the camera behind their ships for a more hands-on flight experience.

The announcement has prompted debate in the EVE Online community, and not everyone is convinced it's a good idea. Some have complained that twitch controls don't suit EVE as the ships are supposed to be massive starships with full crews rather than single-pilot fighter craft. There's also some cynicism over whether the feature is only being worked on now due to the growing popularity of Star Citizen and Elite: Dangerous. EVE could be positioning itself as a viable alternative for any players who are disappointed with the new space games, a strategy that has worked in the past to help it absorb players from games like Earth & Beyond and Star Wars Galaxies.

What do you think? Should EVE add manual flight controls, and is this an attempt to appeal to the mass market?

Hubble's deep field imagery is breathtaking, but what lies between those thousands of spiral-arm galaxies? More stars, of course. Data collected by CIBER rockets (Cosmic Infrared Background ExpeRiment)show that as many as half of the stars in the universe are orphans -- suns that spun out of their home galaxies in the wake of celestial events that tore universe in twain. These stars live in the dark space between galaxies, bathing the universe in the dim "intra-halo" light that the CIBER rockets picked up.

Mapping out the ancient universe is a major astronomical goal, but there's a huge challenge: the galaxies there are so dim, scientists can't make out any of the dark parts. But researchers from the Max Planck Institute and US Berkeley/Berkeley Lab have made a breakthrough that may help. They turned their telescopes on a small, 10.8 billion year old chunk of the universe, measuring the change in light from galaxies caused by hydrogen clouds just in front of them. By observing a number of such galaxies, the astronomers created a map of the cosmic web of gases in front of them, in a similar way that scientists map out the brain using CT scans. Though they covered just a tiny portion of the universe, the scientists think it could help the DESI project, due to come online in 2018. It's goal is nothing less than completely mapping the universe to a distance of 10 billion light years.

Ready to feel small? Our sun is just one of 300 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, which itself is one of many, many other galaxies -- but at least we now know where it is. Astronomers have mapped a "supercluster" of galaxies including the Milky Way and dubbed it Laniakea, or "immeasurable heaven" in Hawaiian. Using several radio telescopes, the team calculated the movement of nearby galaxies relative to each other, after taking into account cosmic expansion. They chose the supercluster boundary based on that motion, since galaxies tend to flow along the same paths toward common gravitational wells. Lanaikea was defined based on its flow toward the "Great Attractor," along with another supercluster called Perseus-Pisces. As shown in the stunning video below, our own insignificant galaxy is on a prominent flow path in Laniakea, right at the edge of a massive void.

Raph Koster's thrown up a fairly fascinating blog post detailing one of his Origin projects that never saw the light of day. It was originally codenamed Star Settlers and it featured procedurally generated planets, exploration, resource management, and more.

Koster's executive bosses "blew up a huge portion of the design" in favor of fitting the fledgling game into Origin's Wing Commander IP, several online versions of which were already in the works. "Some of them had gotten pretty far -- piles of artwork, design work, and even some tech," Koster writes.

Finally a Privateer Online team was assembled, and it cranked out a prototype featuring "radically different" procedural planets, multiplayer space dogfighting, fractal ship customization, modular planetary settlement capabilities, and "a huge pile of lore" written by Wing Commander vets. Though Privateer Online was cancelled in favor of Earth & Beyond and its design docs were burned in a bonfire at Origin's shut-down party, Koster says that many of the developers went on to make Star Wars Galaxies which contained some of the same ideas.

The weeks are jam-packed with MMO news, and if you missed the top stories, watching Massively Rewind is a great way to catch up. It's like a DVR that automatically records your favorite shows except you don't have to worry about your kids accidentally taping over everything with episodes of Spongebob.

In this week's episode, we discuss EverQuest Next Landmark's short NDA, the roadmap for Star Wars: The Old Republic's new content, and John Smedley's Twitter teases about the spiritual sequel to Star Wars Galaxies. Elder Scrolls fans, there might be a little something extra here for you today as well!
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biowareclassic-mmoeaelectronic-artseqeq-nexteq-next-landmarkeqneqn-landmarkeverquesteverquest-nexteverquest-next-landmarkf2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playgalaxieshumorlandmarklucasartsmassively metamassively rewindmassively-rewindmiscellaneousmmo industrymmorpgnewsnews itemsnews-recapnews-videoopinionrichie-procopiosandboxsci-fisoesony-online-entertainmentstar-warsstar-wars-galaxiesstar-wars-the-old-republicswgswgoswtorthe-old-republictorvideovideosFri, 07 Feb 2014 12:00:00 -0500319|20824970https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/02/soe-teases-picture-of-mystery-sandbox-mmo/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/02/soe-teases-picture-of-mystery-sandbox-mmo/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/02/soe-teases-picture-of-mystery-sandbox-mmo/#comments

Behold, ex-Star Wars Galaxies players: This is the first glimpse of the home that SOE is building for you.

SOE President John Smedley sent out a pair of pictures on Twitter on January 29th showing screenshots from the unannounced MMO that the studio is creating. The pictures are both of the back of a church or chapel with a fenced-in graveyard next to it. In the second picture, snow is falling.

It's been a roller coaster day for fans of SOE and the firm's MMO catalog. Earlier we learned that four of the company's titles, including the flawed but much-loved fantasy title Vanguard -- will be shutting down later this year.

Here's the Merriam-Webster online dictionary definition of the word nostalgia.

nos·tal·gianoun
\nä-ˈstal-jə, nə- also nȯ-, nō-; nə-ˈstäl-\
: pleasure and sadness that is caused by remembering something from the past and wishing that you could experience it again
1 : the state of being homesick : homesickness
2 : a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition; also : something that evokes nostalgia

And here's where I tell you that nostalgia is the most misused, overused, and overly simplistic word in modern MMO discourse.
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classic-mmocultureeditorialfeaturedgalaxiesgame mechanicsmmo industrymmo-discoursemmo-rhetoricnew-schoolnostalgianostalgia-doesnt-mean-what-you-think-it-meansold-schoolop-edopinionrantrantssandboxsci-fisoapboxsoapbox-jef-reahardsoesony-online-entertainmentstar wars galaxiesstar-warsstar-wars-galaxiesswgswgothe soapboxthe-soapboxtraditiontraditionalFri, 24 Jan 2014 13:00:00 -0500319|20814465https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/01/17/some-assembly-required-pre-nge-swgs-proper-sandbox-pvp/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/01/17/some-assembly-required-pre-nge-swgs-proper-sandbox-pvp/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/01/17/some-assembly-required-pre-nge-swgs-proper-sandbox-pvp/#comments

A few weeks ago I ranted at indie sandbox devs who continue pumping out poorly conceived FFA PvP games. I didn't have any wordcount left at the end of that novella to propose any solutions, so I'm going to do that today.

Back in the day, Star Wars: Galaxies had its own version of player representation that never seemed to actually accomplish anything. EVE Online'sCouncil of Stellar Management has been meeting for years now, and it's probably the most impactful of the ones listed here, though whether that's due to the actual CSM or the fact that EVE is one of the few MMOs permanently affected by player action is up for debate.

The question I'm coming to is this: Do you think player councils are a good idea? Would you like to serve on one? Why or why not?

Since it's our very last Jukebox Heroes column of the year on the very last day of the year, I thought it would be most appropriate to open up the reader request lines once again and feature MMO tunes that are your favorites. If you'd like to put in your own request for the next time I run one of these columns, please list your favorite MMO music track in the comments along with an explanation as to what you love about it!

"This is the last time I ever got to see my Orc Choppa in game," sent in reader Sean. "Oddly enough, I couldn't get a screenshot of my Order character because even in the final days they didn't take out the faction locking, and so I was locked out for eight hours."

It's also the last time that I'll be able to make that awesome Predator pun that you see in the title of this week's column there. Man, with Warhammer Online gone, how will I be able to make my '80s action movie references? I guess I'll just put on a brave face and soldier on, somehow.
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anetarenanetbring-back-one-shotsbuy-to-playclassic-mmocrypticcryptic-studioscultureeaelectronic-artsendless-trialf2pfantasyfree-to-playgalaxiesgalleriesgalleryguild wars 2guild-wars-2gw2miscellaneousmythicmythic-entertainmentncsoftone shotsone-shotsperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpics-or-it-didnt-happenpvppwereader-screenshotsreader-submissionsrvrsandboxsci-fiscreenshotscreenshotssoesony-online-entertainmentstar trek onlinestar wars galaxiesstar-trekstar-trek-mmostar-trek-onlinestar-warsstar-wars-galaxiesstoswgswgouser-submissionswarwarhammerwarhammer onlinewarhammer-onlineSun, 29 Dec 2013 10:00:00 -0500319|20793611https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/12/03/jukebox-heroes-star-wars-galaxies-soundtrack/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/12/03/jukebox-heroes-star-wars-galaxies-soundtrack/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/12/03/jukebox-heroes-star-wars-galaxies-soundtrack/#comments

Ah, Star Wars Galaxies. Even almost two years after your demise, it doesn't seem possible to shake you loose from our thoughts. Maybe the NGE was a blessing in disguise, a never-depleting power source of rage that will forever give life to your memories. In any case, it's time to talk about the one aspect of the game that was there before SWG was created and will go on indefinitely afterward: the soundtrack.

Talking about Star Wars Galaxies' soundtrack puts me in an odd position because a great deal of the OST is lifted directly from John Williams' movie scores. And what hasn't been said about those classics, really? But there are a few tracks here and there that I could pick out as being unique to the game, although the actual composer who did the job escapes my Google Fu.

Let's play a game. I'm thinking of an MMO that features magic, monsters, humans, and a vast fantasy world full of steamy swamps, grassy plains, and deep, dark dungeons -- can you tell me which MMO it is? If you answered RIFT, you're right. You're also right if you answered TERA. Or World of Warcraft. Or Guild Wars 2. Or Neverwinter. Or... you get the idea.

We're people who play MMOs. Our hard drives are practically bulging with games featuring wizards and warriors. We've plunged our swords into millions of orcs and gnolls. We've looted more imaginary copper pieces than anyone could possible imagine. We've even slain so many dragons that you have to wonder why dragons even bother showing up anymore.

It's not the gameplay but the setting that can make the whole exercise so soul-crushingly boring.
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action-mmoactivisionaionanetarenanetascensionbethesdabethesda-softworksbethsoftblizzardblizzard-entertainmentblueholebluehole-studiosbrowserbrowser-basedbuy-to-playccpccp-gamescity of heroescity-of-heroescity-of-villainsclassic-mmocohcovcoxcrypticcryptic-studiosdaggerfalldc universe onlinedndeaeditorialelder-scrollselder-scrolls-onlineelectronic-artsen-masseen-masse-entertainmentesoeveeve onlineeve-onlineeverquest nextf2pfactionsfallen earthfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomgalaxiesguild-wars-2gw2historicalinternet-spaceshipsjagexjagex-games-studiol1lineagelineage-1lord-britishmiscellaneousmmo industrymmorpgmobamorrowindmythicmythic-entertainmentncsoftneverwinteroblivionop-edopinionparagonparagon-studiosperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpvppwerantrantsriftrsrunescapervrsandboxsci-fiskyrimsoapboxsoesony-online-entertainmentspreadsheets-onlinestar-warsstar-wars-galaxiessuperherosuperheroesswgswgotamrieltanktanksteratestesothe elder scrolls onlinethe soapboxthe-elder-scrollsthe-elder-scrolls-onlinethe-soapboxthree-faction-pvpthree-way-pvptruly-freeultimaultima onlineuowarwarcraftwargaming.networld of tanksworld of warcraftworld-of-tanksworld-of-warcraftwotwowzenimaxzenimax-mediazenimax-onlinezenimax-online-studiosTue, 03 Dec 2013 15:00:00 -0500319|20780191https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/11/03/one-shots-why-you-sit/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/11/03/one-shots-why-you-sit/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/11/03/one-shots-why-you-sit/#comments

Why you sit? Why you sit when there is so much to be done? Every minute you spend sitting, a thousand NPCs die a gruesome death that could have been prevented by your immortal battle prowess! But you sit. You sit and you admire daffodils as you ignore the noise of innocents in peril. Hope that's one mighty fine sit!

So who is this sitter? I'll let reader John introduce you: "Here is Pearl, my level 20 Archer in Final Fantasy XIV. She's obviously relaxing and enjoying the All Saint's Wake celebration. Holidays are the best time to explore the Final Fantasy world."

Why you holiday? Why you holiday when people need rescuing? With great power comes great loafing off, apparently. For more public shaming in this week's One Shots, hit the jump!
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anetarenanetbrantbrianna-roycebuy-to-playclassic-mmoconsoleconsolescultureeq-2eq-iieq2eqiieverquest iieverquest-2everquest-iif2pfantasyfeaturedffff14ffxivfinal fantasy xivfinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-14final-fantasy-xivfree-to-playgalaxiesguild warsguild wars 2guild-warsguild-wars-2gwgw2humorjustin-olivettimassively-speakingmiscellaneousncsoftone shotsopinionpodcastpodcastingpodcastssandboxsci-fiscreenshotssoesonysony-online-entertainmentsquaresquare-enixstar wars galaxiesstar-warsstar-wars-galaxiesswgswgoSun, 03 Nov 2013 10:00:00 -0500319|20755747https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/10/20/one-shots-dusting-crops-with-the-boys/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/10/20/one-shots-dusting-crops-with-the-boys/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/10/20/one-shots-dusting-crops-with-the-boys/#comments

We're going to begin today's column with a very important announcement. It's so important that I'm breaking all the rules putting very important announcement in bold like that, but hopefully you're paying attention by now. We had a glitch with our email that pretty much blocked all submissions for One Shots since September 22nd, and so I never received them. I'm so sorry this has happened, but if you sent in a picture since then, I'd urge you to do it again. Thanks!

Meanwhile, Captain Matt paid a few thousand credits to go on a once-in-a-lifetime trip with Han and Chewie in Star Wars Galaxies. "Here's me going into lightspeed with the closest of friends!"

As Matt's living it up playing space chess with a Wookiee and getting his arms torn off, we've got many very important submissions to check out after the jump!
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aionanetarenanetascensionbring-back-one-shotsbuy-to-playclassic-mmocrypticcryptic-studiosculturef2pfantasyfree-to-playgalaxiesgalleriesgalleryguild wars 2guild-wars-2gw2miscellaneousncsoftone shotsone-shotsperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpics-or-it-didnt-happenpwereader-screenshotsreader-submissionssandboxsci-fiscreenshotscreenshotssoesony-online-entertainmentstar trek onlinestar wars galaxiesstar-trekstar-trek-mmostar-trek-onlinestar-warsstar-wars-galaxiesstoswgswgotruly-freeuser-submissionsSun, 20 Oct 2013 10:00:00 -0400319|20744961https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/10/17/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-mmo-expansion/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/10/17/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-mmo-expansion/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/10/17/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-mmo-expansion/#comments